TV Licence article Discussion

roubiliac

All week the press have been promoting incorrect information about this. I have seen the Sunday Times, The Times, The Express and the Mail all erroneously report that if you can receive live TV you need a licence. Even BBC spokespeople they have quoted have peddled the same lie.

At last a definitive, and correct analysis from MSE!
Well done.

Cornucopia

w50nky wrote: »

Just for my sanity, and so my wife can see it in black and white (no pun intended)! We take our hard drive recorder away with us to our second home and watch programmes we have recorded at home. We have a TV licence for this address of course.
So do we need a TV licence to watch these prerecord end programs in our second home?
No aerial connection for live broadcasts.

Assuming that the Harddrive recorder does not need to be connected to an aerial/satellite dish to playback those recordings, this set-up is okay without a licence.

Cornucopia

roubiliac wrote: »

... that if you can receive live TV you need a licence...

What's wrong with that?

monkeymo

cw18 wrote: »

In theory I guess you can, but they could refuse to let you set up a Direct Debit plan for future years.

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that, I suppose they could. Although I would then just buy another license in another name at my address and pay by direct debit again.

roubiliac

Suffolk_Gardener wrote: »

Hi,


It seems to me that, however you choose to watch the BBC (or listen to one of the many radio stations) then you should bear in mind that this service is currently reliant on receiving funding via licence payments. This is, I think, going to be reviewed in the near future. But the BBC is such an important service both nationally and internationally I don't think people should just opt out of paying for it. Not for nothing is it considered a national treasure, and with nothing coming in it will cease to exist. By all means do all sensible financial things for yourself, but be aware of what you might lose.

I believe that, as in France, it will be added to everyone's council tax bill and that the home owner has to show they have no means of receiving live broadcasts to get a refund.

cw18

monkeymo wrote: »

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that, I suppose they could. Although I would then just buy another license in another name at my address and pay by direct debit again.

Planning on changing your bank account as well?

I've never actually understood why people have an issue with the way this is charged (it's the way I used to pay)

The first is split over 6 months instead of being paid for in a lump sum, so you keep hold of your money longer.

The next then splits into 6 before and 6 after, so while you pay out half early you also pay out half late. To me that equated to the same as paying it all at renewal time (in terms of potential interest earning in the bank), but you don't notice it leaving at £12+ a month as much as you would £145+ in one hit.

roubiliac

Cornucopia wrote: »

What's wrong with that?

It is NOT the law.

The offence is watching live broadcasts
Not having the capacity to record live broadcasts

[Deleted User]

monkeymo wrote: »

Can I cancel my direct debit after the £145 for this year has been taken but before they can take the £72.50 (ish) for next year?

I assume I can do this and then simply start the direct debit again next year. Any thoughts?

If you are paying in one chunk, why not just pay it at a PayPoint terminal, each year?

Cornucopia

roubiliac wrote: »

I believe that, as in France, it will be added to everyone's council tax bill and that the home owner has to show they have no means of receiving live broadcasts to get a refund.

As long as that's administered fairly, then I wouldn't have too much of a problem with that. But given the technology available to support a subscription model, I'm not convinced it is the most appropriate solution, overall.

cw18 wrote: »

I wish I felt as confident as you sound.

Unfortunately it sounds to me like the hardest method to avoid paying, which means a lot more income for the BBC with a lot less costs in chasing up non-payers (if it's tagged onto your electricity bill, which appears to be one option they're looking at, you can't actually avoid it unless you're totally off-grid or refuse to pay your electricity bill).

I can see people refusing to pay the TV Licence component of the Electricity bill, if that's the way it goes. I think the "German" model is actually a standalone levy, separate from any utility or council tax bill. The impact on German businesses has been significant in some cases, and they are challenging it in the Courts.

So it's a win-win situation for the BBC, and a lump-it for those of us who are LLF and would like to stay that way.

I would be surprised and disappointed if, having got to 1.6m+ LLF people, that an option didn't remain.

With some of these alternative models, the over-75 licence would become difficult and expensive to administer (and given that Government pays for those licences from central funds I can see there being pressure to axe them).

Personally, I would like to see a reduction in the scope of the licence, in preparation for a move to subscription. In the meantime, I would axe both the BBC Trust and TV Licensing, who in my opinion are both a complete waste of space, and detrimental to the well-being of the country.

The fundamental question is: do we *need* a behemoth national broadcaster paid for by regressive taxation? From what I can see of the debate going on, the jury is still very much out on that question.

cw18

roubiliac wrote: »

I believe that, as in France, it will be added to everyone's council tax bill and that the home owner has to show they have no means of receiving live broadcasts to get a refund.

Suits me to do it that way here if I can still legally not pay, although I'd like to know how often (and how) I'd have to prove it and what rights they'd have to check up between times.

But what about those who get their CT paid through the benefits system? I assume this part of it won't be covered, and will up to the claimant to pay themselves?